City Scapes
by AnElusiveDreamer
Summary: AU Cecil finds himself in a strange city when it starts to rain.
1. Waiting for the Bus in the Rain

Written for day four of the Fandom Snowflake Challenge on Dreamwidth. It also serves to fill the prompt "a gentle fall of rain" from Gen Prompt Bingo.

This is a quick little AU scenario where Cecil leaves Night Vale (somehow) and finds himself in Carlos' hometown. I imagined it as taking place in a big city like New York City or something. I thought that would be the antithesis of Night Vale. I may continue it if the mood strikes, but for now, it is a one-shot.

* * *

The rain began to fall into a gentle rhythm as Cecil stood at the bus stop.

"Just great," he thought as he held a soggy newspaper over his head. Public transportation wasn't any more punctual in Night Vale, but at least the city council could be counted on to release the weekly schedule of planned rains. They could usually be counted upon… Unless the Glow Cloud was involved, that is. All hail the mighty Glow Cloud!

Everything about this bustling city was strange and unsettling. It felt odd to be in the shadow of so many tall buildings instead of standing under the hot desert sun. Where were all the bloodstone circles? There were lights, sure, but no mysterious ones above the Arby's. Worst of all, someone had constructed a bus stop shelter that clearly wasn't big enough for all of the people who would be waiting there.

As Cecil leaned back against the lamp post behind him, he spied a dark-haired stranger who was standing out in the open under the indifferent sky. The stranger was rummaging in a bag and wearing a lab coat. Cecil watched him pull an umbrella out of his bag and straighten up. Their eyes met, and Cecil suddenly didn't mind being caught in the rain. The wet and slightly disheveled hair only served to make the man's intelligent face more handsome. The perfect stranger smiled at him, and Cecil's heart skipped a beat. He had teeth like a military cemetery.

Cecil's breath caught in his throat as the stranger made his way to him through the waiting crowd.

"I saw that you were caught without an umbrella," the man said warmly as he held his umbrella forward to offer room under it. "Care to share mine?"

"Yes, thank you!" Cecil enthused as a goofy grin overtook his face and he moved closer.

"My name's Carlos, by the way," the stranger with the perfect hair said.

"Hi, I'm Cecil," Cecil replied as the bus pulled up noisily. It was not a welcome distraction.

Perhaps this city wasn't so bad after all.


	2. Out of the Rain

Instead of pursuing his strange mission to investigate the mysterious city, Cecil found himself following Carlos to a nearby coffee shop. When Carlos had suggested that they grab a cup of coffee, Cecil could not say no to his brilliant smile. The crowded coffee shop they entered was bizarre, albeit no more so than the rest of the bustling city. For one thing, the baristas here were not skilled at picturing the exact moment of your death in foam, and they gave Cecil strange looks when he had asked about it. For another, they proudly displayed wheat and wheat-byproducts for sale. Didn't they know how dangerous that can be?

Cecil sat across from Carlos in a cozy corner of the shop. Carlos was busy going on about his duties as a scientist. Cecil stared in open admiration.

"I'm sorry, I've been babbling this whole time. I never asked what you do," Carlos said sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm a radio host in Night Vale," Cecil answered with a smile that could rival Carlos' own.

"Really? I've never heard of that place," Carlos mused. Cecil had ignited Carlos' curiosity and that was one surefire way to gain the scientist's interest.

"It's a lovely desert community," Cecil said, "unfortunately, we're a little too close to our neighbor Desert Bluffs—which is just awful—but no town is perfect. It becomes perfect when you learn to love it for what it is." Carlos nodded in agreement.

"That's how I feel about this place," Carlos said, "Ever since I attended the University of What It Is, I haven't left. There's so much in this world that I haven't seen and, as a scientist, that troubles me."

"You should definitely come visit some time," Cecil said enthusiastically. We so rarely have visitors and we rarely ever sacrifice them in bizarre rituals to appease station management." Carlos chuckled nervously. He was almost certain that Cecil had been making a joke there. Fairly certain, anyway.

"You know what? I think I will," Carlos said with an irrepressible smile. He couldn't take his eyes off of this strange man sitting across from him. There was something so magnetic about his presence. He looked just like any normal man, for sure, but there was an aura that drew him in. Carlos had devoted so much of his life to science that he hardly ever had time for friends or dates or anything. Was that what this was? A date? Carlos could only hope. It had all happened so fast.

The rain continued to fall as afternoon transitioned into night, but neither Cecil nor Carlos paid it any heed. They were drawn into the light in each other's eyes. For now, this coffee shop provided all of the warmth and shelter that they could need.

Carlos was finally able to take his eyes away from Cecil and glanced at his watch. Cecil had temporarily forgotten how linear time was in this city. He assumed it must be getting late because the streetlamps had come on and the window beside them was illuminated by a garish neon glow.

"Wow, it's really late, isn't it? I should really be heading back now," said Carlos, and Cecil's heart began to sink. "Thank you for such an enchanting evening. We should do this again some time." Carlos fished a pen out of his lab coat pocket and scrawled his phone number on a spare napkin.

"Yes, I would love that," Cecil said, taking the folded napkin into his hands and carefully stowing it in his pants pocket.


End file.
